Bubbler relief mechanism



y 1962 E. SORENSEN 3,033,466

BUBBLER RELIEF MECHANISM Filed Feb. 29, 1960 Fig. 2 26 E gon Sorensen 1N VEN TOR.

United States Patent() 3,033,466 BUBBLER RELIEF MECHANISM Egon Sorensen, Glen Riddle, Pa., assignor to Sunroc Corporation, Glen Riddle, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 29, 1960, Set. No. 11,645 Claims. (Cl. 23932) This invention comprises a novel and useful bubbler relief mechanism and more specifically pertains to a safety pressure relief valve construction for drinking fountain spouts and the like.

In the use of water drinking fountains and especially those fountains having an automatic refrigerated water supply, a problem occasionally arises in which the water supply to the fountain and from the source of supply and especially the refrigerating means of the fountain may freeze. When this condition occurs, the expanding freezing water is liable to rupture some of the conduit connections or passages of the fountain necessitating delays for repairing the same or undesirable expensive re pairs.

It is therefore the primary purpose of this invention to provide a safety vent construction for such fountains whereby excessive pressure developed for any reason as for instance by freezing of the water between the source of supply and the nozzle of the fountain may be relieved thereby protecting the apparatus fromdamage.

A further problem arising in fountains of this nature is the desirability, for practical usage, of providing a constant closing pressure at the precise value needed for the control valve of the fountain. This is often ditficult to attain especially for different conditions of operation, and varying supply pressures to the fountain. It is therefore a further purpose of the invention to provide a closing valve construction which will admit of ready adjustment of the closing pressure of the valve.

A further very important object of the invention is to provide a combined means for adjusting the closing pressure of the fountain control valve when also effecting an automatic venting of the water in the supply conduit immediately adjacent to the nozzle of the fountain when the pressure therein exceeds a predetermined value for any reason.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a conventional form of a cooling water fountain to which the present invention is applied;

FIGURE 2 is a view of FIGURE 1 with parts shown in vertical transverse section and with portions of the mechanism being removed therefrom in order to'show further details of the structure and with certain concealed passages and parts being shown in dotted lines therein;

FIGURE 3 is a view upon an enlarged scale of a portion of the closing spring pressure adjusting means in accordance with this invention;

FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view of certain elements constituting the essence of this invention; and

FIGURE 5 is a detail view taken upon an enlarged scale and showing in vertical section the mannerin which the control valve of the fountain is associated with the water supply line from the source of supply such as a water refrigerating unit. V

In the accompanying drawings there is shown a somewhat conventional type of a fountain spout construction consisting of a spout body of suitable construction having a water discharge nozzle 12 with a deflector baffle or 3,933,466 Patented May 8., 1962 continuously in communication with the valve chamber.

Also extending into the valve chamber is a supply line 22 by means of which water from any suitable source of supply, as for example from a refrigerating or cooling unit of a drinking fountain is delivered into the valve chamber.

The valve chamber opens through a wall of the spout body preferably at the top thereof by means of an internally threaded opening 24 which has a usual type of closure means for actuating a control valve disposed in the chamber 18 and for controlling the flow of water from the supply line 22 into the chamber 18 from which it is discharged through the passage 20 and the nozzle 12.

In a conventional valve of this type there is provided the usual internally threaded bonnet 26 which is secured to the spout body and through which projects an inverted cup 28 adapted to engage and operate the valve and constituting a push button for controlling the valve. In drinking fountains of this character, the valve means commonly employed is of a type illustrated in particulet in FIGURE 5. As shown in this figure the supply line 22 has at its upper end a transversely extending arm 30 with a downwardly positioned discharge port 32. The extremity of this port is provided with a valve seat 34 which is controlled by a valve 36 of appropriate shape and construction carried by a horizontally extending arm 38 of an upwardly projecting valve stem 40. As will be observed, the valve is so disposed with respect to the seat that the valve is closed against the pressure of fluid from the supply line by spring means suitably connected to the valve and is open against the spring means by depressing the push button 28 which thereby moves the valve stem 40 and the valve 36 downwardly so that the latter will move 0E of the seat 34 and permit flow of fluid from the supply line into the valve chamber 18 from thence to the discharge nozzle 12. of the fountain spout.

In drinking fountains of this character, and especially in drinking fountains which the water supply of the supply line 22 is refrigerated by suitable means for drinking purposes, it sometimes occurs that owing to improper adjustment of the refrigerating means the water may freeze in the supply'line. Consequently, in conventional spring closing means heretofore employed, the spring is of sufficient strength to maintain the valve closed upon its seat so that expanding freezing water in the supply line will rupture or damage the same.

In order to overcome this difficulty a safety valve venting mechanism is provided for and associated with this conventional valve structure previously described.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES 2-4 it will be seen that there is provided a bushing 59 which is externally threaded at 52 for engagement in the threaded opening 24 in the spout body 10. This bushing is inserted in this opening and as -shown in FIGURE 2 projects slightly beyond the top surface of the spout body for a purpose to be subsequently set forth. Rising axially from the bushing 52 is a tubular sleeve 54 which serves the dual function to be now described. In accordance with this invention the upper end of the valve stem 40 is against the surface of the bushing 52, and at its other end abuts against a spring retainer in the form of an adjusting nut 62 which is engaged upon the screw-threaded portion 58 of the valve stem. By this arrangement the "compression spring 60 serves to yieldingly urge the valve stem upwardly and thus urge the valve toward valve closing position against the pressure in the supply line 22. Obviously, by screw-threadedly adjusting the nut 62 upon the threaded portion 53 of the valve stem the force of the compression spring can be readily varied thereby varying the pressure with which the valve is urged toward its seat.

. The previously mentioned cup 28 encircles and en closes the threaded portion 58 of the valve stem, the retainer 62 and the upper end of the spring 60, and by its engagement with the upper end of the valve stem serves to depress the latter against the valve spring when the push button is manually pressed downwardly.

The bonnet 26 previously mentioned has its internal threads engaged upon the external threads 52 of the bushing to thereby serve as a lock means to retain the bushing in the threaded opening 24 against movement, and also to retain by means of the outwardly flaring lower rim 64 of the push button cup 28 against removal from the assembly, it being understood that the push button will be slidably extended through the bonnet 26 as shown in FIGURE 1 for manual operation.

As shown further in FIGURE 2 there is customarily provided a diaphragm 66 which may be secured to the lower or inward end of the bushing 50' in order to establish a leak-proof seal between the interior of the valve chamber 18 and the exterior of the spout body through V the valve actuating means.

The novel features of the present invention consist of the bushing 50, the valve stem enlargement 56, the screwth'feaded portion 58, and the disposition of the adjusting nut 62 thereon cooperating with the closing spring 60. In addition, the conventional push button 28 and bonnet 26 are engaged with these elements in the manner previously set forth. I Inthe operation of this invention, it is obvious that a single spout construction can be readily adjusted to enable the same to properly cooperate with dilferent Water pressures of supply lines for different fountains. By 'means of the adjustment of the retaining means 62, the closing pressure of the valve can be readily con trolled and precisely adjusted by regulating the force of the spring 60 so as to obtain the closing pressure which is greater than the normal pressure of the water in the supply line 22 whereby the valve will remain closed except when manually opened by the push button 28; but whereby this pressure will yield in response to a predetermined excess pressure over the normal supply pressure which excess pressure may be caused by such conditions as freezing of the water in the supply line on the supply side of the valve.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a drinking fountain spout of the type comprising a hollow body provided with a discharge nozzle with a supply passage in said body communicating with said nozzle, a water supply line and a chamber in said body connecting said passage and supply line together with a manually operable valve in said chamber controlling delivery from said supply line thereto, said valve being spring urged to closed position against the pressure of said supply line; a pressure relief safety mechanism comprising a spring upon the exterior of said body, a spring retaining means exteriorly of said body and secured to said valve and abutting said spring whereby the spring urges the valve to closing position, said retainer being threadedly engaged upon the stem of said valve and adjustable for varying the closing pressure applied to said valve between a pressure sufiicient to close the valve against the normal pressure in said supply line and to permit opening of the valve in response to a predetermined increase in pressure above normal in the supply line whereby to vent the latter to said chamber and spout upon freezing of the water in said supply line, said retaining means being enclosed and said valve stem being actuated by a cup comprising a control button for the fountain, and a retaining bonnet surrounding said cup and retaining the latter in place upon said valve stem, said bonnet having an opening and said cup being movably protruding from said bonnet through said opening, said cup surrounding said retainer, said chamber having an opening through a wall of said spout body, a bushing in said opening, said bonnet surrounding and being secured to said bushing.

2. A safety vent valve construction for a drinking fountain of the type having a spout body with a valve chamber therein, a nozzle on said body and a passage in the latter communicating with said chamber and a supply line extending into said chamber; said valve construction comprising a valve seat spaced from the walls of said chamber and disposed on said supply line and opening into said chamber, a valve in said chamber cooperating with said seat and movable towards and from the latter whereby to control flow from said supply line into said chamber, said valve closing said valve seat against the pressure in said supply line, said chamber having an opening through a wall of said spout body, a bushing removably secured in said opening and having a tubular sleeve, said valve having a stern extending to the exterior of said spout body and being guided in said bushing sleeve for reciprocating movement to open and close said valve, a compression spring upon the exterior of said body surrounding said valve stem and being seated on said bushing, a spring retainer on the exterior of said body and adjustably mounted on said stern and engaging said spring for adjustably compressing the latter against said bushing and thereby vary the closing pressure of said valve on its seat whereby said spring will retain said valve closed against normal pressure in said supply line but will yield and allow said valve to open when abnormal pressure such as that from freezing of the water in the supply line is applied to said valve.

3. The combination of claim 2 including a cup enclosing the end of said valve stem, said retainer and said sleeve and constituting a push button for manual operation of said valve, a bonnet surrounding said cup and surrounding said sleeve and secured to said bushing for retaining said cup upon said valve stem.

4. The combination of claim 2 wherein, said bushing has a common fastening means securing said bushing to said spout body and said bonnet to said bushing.

5'. A safety vent valve construction for a drinking fountain of the type having a spout body with a valve chamber therein, a nozzle on said body and a passage in the latter communicating with said chamber and a supply line extending into said chamber; said valve construction comprising a valve seat on said supply line and opening in to said chamber, a valve in said chamber cooperating with said seat and movable towards and from the latter whereby to control flow from said supply line into said chamber, said valve closing said valve seat against the pressure in said supply line, said valve having a stem extending to the exterior of said spout body for will retain said valve closed against normal pressure in said supply line but will yield and allow said valve to open when abnormal pressure such as that from freezing of the water in the supply line is applied to said valve wherein said chamber having an opening through a wall of said spout body, a bushing threadedly engaged in said opening, said valve stem being slidably guided in said bushing and said spring abutting said bushing, said bushing having a tubular sleeve projecting upwardly therefrom, said stem being slidably guided in said sleeve and said spring surrounding said sleeve, said spring retainer comprising an adjusting nut threaded adjustably upon said stem and engaging said spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

